The Social Reef
An Industry Perspective
Storyboard #2
By Jeremiah Owyang
Image used with Attribution as directed by Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/leonardlow/340763653/ /

The social web industry is a lot like living reef.
Both are complex ecosystems that undergo
constant change.
Let’s explore the ecosystem…

Key players

Fish : People
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Fish : People
• Fish are like people, users, or consumers.
• The come in many different colors, sizes
and species.
• Collectively, they band together and form
communities.
• Species: Over 6.77 billion varieties and
counting

Fishermen : Brands
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Fishermen : Brands
• Brands are like fishermen, they are
constantly seeking fish.
• They try many different tactics to reach
fish, some are successful and many not.
• As brands come, some fish are scared
away, while others are attracted.
• Species: Dell, P&G, Wells Fargo,
Starbucks, Ford.

The incumbents

CMS : Rocks
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CMS : Rocks
• Content Management Systems (CMS) are
like rocks, a stable web publishing system
powering brand websites.
• These slower moving web systems will
struggle with adapting to the social web.
• As a result, these systems are developing
social features –or will soon acquire them.
• Species: Vignette, Interwoven,
Documentum, Fatwire, Percussion

CRM : Octopus
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CRM : Octopus
• Customer Relationship Systems (CRM) are like
octopuses, they’re reaching to multiple systems
to grab data.
• Soon, they will develop features to enable
brands to better find prospects, market, and
support communities.
• Expect to see more partnership between CRM
systems and social networks and community
platforms.
• Species: Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft,
and Rightnow.

Brand Monitoring : Jellyfish
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Brand Monitoring : Jellyfish
• Brand monitoring firms are like jellyfish,
they rapidly absorb information.
• These firms are quickly tying with CMS
systems, or developing their own features.
• Brands need these firms to find fish.
• Species: Nielsen BuzzMetrics, TNS
Cymfony, Dow Jones Insight, J.D. Power
& Associates, Visible Technologies, and
Radian 6.

The challengers

Social Networks : Kelp Forest
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Social Networks : Kelp Forest
• Social Networks are like kelp forests, a rapidly
changing haven for communities to assemble.
• These ever-wavering communities are thriving
with customers –yet are fragile and young.
• As a result, brands try to fish –often
unsuccessfully in these forests.
• Species: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn

Community Platforms : Coral
Image taken by aj-click used with Attribution as directed by Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/leonardlow/340761832/

Community Platforms : Coral
• Community Platforms are like coral, which allow
any brand to have their own social network.
• These living organisms attract customers,
bringing them closer to brands, soon they will be
tightly integrated with CMS systems (rocks).
• A shakeout is due in this overcrowded space of
over 100 players.
• Species: Jive, Telligent, Mzinga, Awareness,
Liveworld, Lithium, Leverage, Kickapps, Pluck

Applications : Anemones
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Applications : Anemones
• Applications are like anemones, ever-moving
with limitless varieties.
• These applications are depending on social
networks (kelp), but will soon extend to
community platforms (coral) and cms (rock).
• People and applications are dependent on each
other.
• Species: Slide, RockYou, Widgetbox, Gigya,
Clearspring, and Newsgator.

External Factors

Venture Capital : Algae
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Venture Capital : Algae
• Venture Capital is like algae, injecting needed
resources into the ecosystem for growth.
• Venture capital fuel social networks,
applications, community platforms –even during
a recession.
• Venture capital influences deals, partnerships,
and vendor strategy.
• Species: August, Benchmark, Allegis, Scale, and
Garage.

Detractors: Pollution
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Detractors : Pollution
• Detractors are like water pollution, they
clog up the system and someone has to
clean it up.
• Wherever communities thrive, detractors
infiltrate.
• As a result, the system is forever trying to
expel the unwanted.
• Species: Trolls, Spammers, Hackers.

A-Listers : Blowfish
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A-Listers : Blowfish
• A-Listers are like blowfish, as they vie for others
attention, yet inflate when defensive.
• These influencers are essential for new
technology adoption –yet many tools are never
adopted mainstream.
• Approach with caution, many cause indigestion if
consumed.
• Species: Although few in numbers, they are
easily identified with distinguishable marks

Recession : Low Tide
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Recession : Low Tide
• The recession is like a low tide, forcing
innovation and bringing the ecosystem
closer.
• Consumers have increased their adoption
of social technologies: they connect to
each other, learn from one another, and
some have…more time.
• As a result, it will force innovation with
fewer resources and more competitors.

Industry Analyst : Marine Biologist
Image taken by aj-click used with Attribution as directed by Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/brentbat/455884449/

Industry Analyst : Marine Biologist
• Industry analysts are like marine biologists, who
examine, identify, and analyze the ecosystem.
• Industry analysts who cover the ever-changing
social reef struggle to keep up with this nascent
industry.
• As a result, they resort to slideshows filled with
colorful pictures to explain what they do to their
friends and family.
• Species: Forrester, Gartner, IDC, eMarketer,
Compete, and Comscore.

Summary
• The social web is an ever-changing space –
perhaps the fastest changing industry the world
has ever seen.
• Despite the attention and growth, it struggles
with monetization, privacy, and cultural
boundaries.
• Expect this space to continue to innovate rapidly
over the next few years.
• Eventually, this industry will mature, as these
communication tools become ubiquitous

Come fish with me.
Jeremiah Owyang
web-strategist.com/blog
@jowyang
Photos used with creative commons attribution license.
Image used with Attribution as directed by Creative Commons by t6mdm :http://www.flickr.com/photos/t6mdm/3363444387/